New York Sports

For the New York Mets, this spring has been very eventful and it will only get more interesting. They will be under a strong microscope to show that they have put two consecutive September collapses/meltdowns behind them, and that Jerry Manuel is in control of a team who needed a radical changeup in attitude and approach.

Manuel has been preaching a "team first" message and does not want anyone to play the part of the hero, they must all do their part to get the job done, and that no one player is more or less responsible than any other teammate.

I had to edit this article all over again because editor John Mccurdy made me look like a fool and he made me look stupid. Thank you John. Do me a favor and stay away from my articles.

You can't win every game in spring training, and the Yankees didn't have their best players playing. They lost to the Tampa Bay Rays by a score of 5-0.

Here are my individual player performance grades:

You can’t win every game in spring training and the Yankees didn’t have their best players playing. The Yankees lost to the Tampa Bay Rays by a score of 5-0.

Back in 2001 the Mets had a pitcher named Steve Trachsel. Through his star-crossed career Trachsel had become what one would call an inconsistent pitcher; one who at times could look really, really good, and times where he could look really, really awful.

On one late April night against the San Diego Padres at Shea Stadium, Trachsel got bombed by the Padres and had to be pulled out of the game by then manager Bobby Valentine. It appeared that the Mets had had enough of Trachsel, who was getting blistered every time he touched the mound.

Bleacher Report writers need to wake up to reality.

Question: Why didn't the Mets sign Manny Ramirez?

Answer: They couldn't afford him.

Really? The New York Mets?  I don't understand...

I do. The Wilpons got disemboweled by Bernard Madoff and now face the possibility of losing Citigroup as a main sponsor.

The New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers by a score of 4-3.

Do you get the title though? Grading "Jobination." It's like, grading "domination" except I put Joba and domination together.

Joba has been dominant with strikeouts in spring training.

It's 79 degrees in Tampa. I'm jealous because I like the heat. It's 50 here in Morris Plains so it's not that bad.

John Maine's 2008 season was cut significantly short last year due to shoulder pain and stiffness which required surgery in late September to repair bone spurs behind his shoulder blade.

Maine missed his last seven starts, but remained with the Mets during that time to support his friends and teammates, though he was extremely frustrated that his contribution was limited to the role of dugout cheerleader.

The New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins by a score of 4-2. Phil Hughes is pitching pretty well this spring.

I went out and just had something to eat at Wendy's and I had a cheeseburger with lettuce, onions and pickles. I was hoping to make it back at a decent time and I did.

A—Phil Hughes

Despite an offseason full of free agent splashes, the Yankees could be in for another April belly flop. 

Sure, the additions of Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, and A.J. Burnett automatically make the Yankees an improved team, but there are substantial questions as the calendar flips.

A distracted Alex Rodriguez is one thing, but putting him on the shelf for the season’s first six to nine weeks is quite another. General manager Brian Cashman is sticking with farmhand Cody Ransom for, if nothing else, the lack of available free agent third basemen.

Team Puerto Rico reminded me of the 2008 Mets in the way they lost to Team USA.

Team Puerto Rico was leading Team USA 5-3 going into the bottom of the ninth inning. Pedro Feliciano reminded me of last year, and to most Puerto Rico fans, it wasn't good. He did not have good command and put himself in a hole.

The Puerto Rican team had a chance to get out of it with a double play, but Carlos Delgado was pulled off the bag. It was all downhill from there.

The NEW York Yankees—out with the old and in with the new. With the recent acquisitions of "big name" players such as A.J. Burnett, CC Sabathia, and Mark Teixeira, the Yankees are beginning to show that they, as a team, are once again a "big name" team.

The Yankees, coming off a most disappointing season, are setting their sights on that precious World Series Championship, of which they have not had the honor of winning since 2000, when they defeated the Mets in the Subway Series.